One more thing…

So much has been going on with Andy lately, and I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to fill you all in.  Andy has been with us for almost a year now, and he is a new man.  It’s absolutely amazing how far he’s come.  When the cats meow, he ignores them.  When dogs bark, he continues on with his life.  When people walk by him during his walks, he can’t be bothered lifting his nose from the ground.  When people come to visit…he gets so excited to have new friends to play with.

Here’s the clincher…when he is out on his walk and other dogs (even the ones off-leash) approach him…he plays!  Andy used to have an issue with other dogs…he learned to live with his foster brothers, Henry and Toby, but if a strange dog came near him (or looked at him wrong) he would go nuts.  It was almost as though he’d get defensive before it was actually necessary.  A few weeks ago, I had Andy out in the field, where he normally goes for his walks.  There was a dog off-leash there with his owners.  The dog came bouncing over to Andy, but approached him slowly.  I kept a tight grip on Andy’s leash.  The owners of the golden lab said that Grover was a very friendly dog and loves to play.  Unfortunately, I had to tell them that Andy is unfamiliar with this act of kindness, and it would be best if they didn’t spend much time together…all while Andy was growling at poor, playful Grover.  Growling, yes…but hey, that’s a far cry from his old ways…snarling like the devil himself and attempting to jump on the other dog’s head and rip his ear off for even looking at him.

Lately, Andy has become interested in another dog.  He (or she?) is a black lab mix, and is behind a fence right beside Andy’s usual field.  When the lab sees Andy, he starts running back and forth along the fence line.  There is one small gap in the fence boards, and he always sticks his head out to see if Andy is playing along.  For the longest time, Andy didn’t…because we wouldn’t let him…because of his tendencies.  Recently, Andy has become more persistant, and we’ve become more comfortable.  He has been showing improvement.  He has approached the gapped fence numerous times, sniffed with the lab, and has run a couple laps with him.  Amazing!

Today…same field, same playful golden lab, Grover.  This time, I said “What the hell.”  I left Andy’s leash with some give, and watched.  Grover bounded over, and then slowed down his approach.  They sniffed noses, sniffed butts…and then started running paces together!  Andy loved it.  I was in complete awe.  I told Grover’s owner that this was Andy’s first real interaction with another dog since we got him.  The guy noted that it seemed to be going well.  On my way out of the field, another dog walker had his cocker spaniel on his leash, and seemed to be debating on heading into the field with another dog who was off his leash.  As I was getting closer, he called out that his dog was very friendly and would love to meet Andy.  Wow, twice in one walk?  I can’t believe it!  Too good to be true, but I watched in amazement as  Andy walked up to the spaniel…sniffed a couple times and the two of them ran around in circles…before monkeying each other…peeing and scratching the ground as though they were a mirror image of one another.  They sniffed some more, and Andy said goodbye…home for a cold bowl of water.

I was beaming.  So proud.  You might be able to imagine…just maybe.  Andy was such a gentleman, very polite and reserved with both dogs.  He is starting to understand that this is how things work, and that if he just gives it a chance, he can have more fun than he’s ever known.

Now, we need to work on one more thing.  Cars.  We are still hoping that it’s possible to get Andy used to taking a car ride without throwing up all over the back seat.  I mean, if he’s come this far with all the other issues he’s had…why not this one too?  All he needs is patience.  He lucked out.  While I am far from patient with people, I make up for it with animals.  Plus, my mom raised me…she’s got all the patince in the world!